Big UK firms in push to give Ukraine refugees jobs

Big British companies are lining up to offer jobs to Ukrainian refugees when they arrive in the UK.

A group of more than 45 big companies is urging the government to make it easier for those displaced by the Russian invasion to come to the UK.

Marks & Spencer, Asos, Lush and recruitment giant Robert Walters are some of the firms involved.

The government has been criticized for the speed and scale of its response to Ukraine’s refugee crisis.

The initiative is led by UK entrepreneur Emma Sinclair, Managing Director of Enterprise Alumni. She said it gained ground quickly in a short period of time.

Ms Sinclair, who is currently coordinating the initiative despite a recent head injury, told the BBC that many of her ancestors came from Eastern Europe, including Ukraine.

The aim of the project is not only to help refugees find jobs in the UK, but also to find housing and language skills.

The initiative, which was first reported in the Sunday Times, aims to create tens of thousands of jobs.

Ms Sinclair is due to have a meeting with newly appointed Secretary for Refugees Richard Harrington on Monday and she has also been in contact with Number 10 Downing Street.

“We [businesses] We want people, we need people, and we want to help,” she said. “We want to see movement in the rising number of refugees.”

She said the current focus of this initiative is to help refugees from Ukraine rebuild their lives, but in an ideal world the program would be extended to all refugees.

The government has been criticized, including by its own MPs, for not acting quickly enough to help refugees from Ukraine.

Ms Sinclair said the UK could “do better” and “move faster” than it is currently doing with refugees from Ukraine.

“We want the bureaucracy to be cut,” she said.

Marks & Spencer, which is part of the consortium, said it was “absolutely committed to supporting Ukrainian refugees,” both through humanitarian programs and jobs.

“We are in talks with the Interior Ministry about the details,” it said.

Online fashion retailer Asos, which is also involved in the initiative, said: “We are currently recruiting many technical engineering positions in the UK and we know Ukraine has strong capabilities in this area.

“We are also working with our partners to explore opportunities in our distribution centers in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.”

Asos expects UK jobs to reach double digits, adding that the company already has Ukrainian workers in Poland, so there will be opportunities there for newly arrived refugees.

High street cosmetics company Lush said it was “happy to consider refugees for any role, even those we would normally only post to internal candidates”.

It said its recruiters would be meeting with the Refugee Council charity next week to “share what potential opportunities there are across the business”.

Lush added that it’s recruiting web developers and other technical roles, designers, spa therapists, and warehouse and retail assistants — and holiday temps starting in May and June.

Toby Fowlston, chief executive of recruitment giant Robert Walters, said the firm was “committed to hiring displaced Ukrainians into our own business and as a recruitment company we will also present them as potential employees to our clients”.

“We will need government support to expedite work visas to ensure we can act quickly,” he added.

Another major UK recruitment firm, Impellam Group, is part of the consortium, as is software company Unit4 and Portman Dental Group.

Many UK companies are facing labor shortages due to a combination of factors such as Covid and Brexit and it is in their interest to fill vacancies.

However, Ms Sinclair said the consortium was “purely altruistic” and not acting to further any particular corporate agenda.

The companies involved, particularly the recruiting firms, have “thousands of vacancies to fill every day of the week” – this is not a new situation for them, she said.

“People are inherently good and want to help,” she added.

Sara Nathan, co-founder of Refugees at Home, said the charity is willing to help the consortium house refugees.

However, she warned that with a six-month accommodation, both the refugees and the people who offer space in their homes would have to be screened, otherwise “it could get a bit dangerous”.

Ms. Nathan added that dealing with Ukrainian refugees must also be fair towards refugees of other nationalities.

“What happens to Afghans?” She said. “They are still in hotels.”

Organizations unaffiliated with the initiative have also contacted the Home Office to say they are ready to offer jobs to refugees, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Co-op.

More than 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion, and European Union countries have allowed them to enter without visas for three years.

In the UK, only Ukrainian refugees with family ties in the UK can currently apply for a visa under the Ukraine Family Scheme. Other visas are available, but the application centers in Ukraine are closed.

However, under a new program called Homes for Ukraine, people can nominate a named person or family to live with them or another property rent-free for at least six months.

There is no need for sponsors to know the refugees in advance and there is no limit to the number of people who can come to the UK through this route.

Refugees receive a three-year residence permit with the right to work and access public services.